Page 15 of Baring it All (Men in Charge)

“Fuck.” He pulls away from me, forehead meeting mine as the alarm on his phone goes off, an interruption that neither of us is welcoming. Our kiss is abandoned as well as the possibility of us going further.

“How does the saying go? Distance makes the heart grow fonder?” I joke. My laugh doesn’t sound very convincing even to myself. We were so close to taking this a lot further, at least I was. Though it doesn’t take much when Griff is near—one kiss, a graze of his fingers along my skin, or even a glance.

“I still don’t like leaving you. Jack’s number is in your phone, right?” he asks, standing up and planting my feet on the ground. I back up. Finn has already moved away in order not to get trampled on.

“It’s in my phone. Mom and Aunt Cat know you’re leaving and will be around. I’ll be fine. You’re worrying over nothing when it’s me who should be worrying over you.” I’m holding back how stressed I am that Griff is going into a situation where sure, he’s the rescuer, but roles could be reversed in an instant.

“Alright, let me grab my bag. Walk me out?” I nod, trying to clear my head of thoughts of him getting injured on the job. Shit, his lip is finally healing, and the bruise on his jaw is going away. I stand where I am, watching him in his gray cotton shirt perfectly molded to his muscular back, his ass encased in jeans that have been washed so many time they’re soft to the touch. I must have been in my own world watching his slow gait, each flex and pull of his muscle, enjoying my view when Griff gets my attention. “Stormy, you gonna walk me out?” His signature smirk is what I’m met with when I finally peel my eyes away from his body.

“Coming! Finn, let’s go see daddy off,” I call out for him. He’s fast on his feet, the clicking of his nails against the tile floor the only reason I can hear him.

“Jesus, baby girl, I’m never going to leave now.” Finn and I meander toward Griff. He’s got his duffle bag in one hand, keys and phone in the other.

“Nope, off you go. Finn and I are going to the dog store later. Then we are going to enjoy our long walks along the beach, maybe eat some watermelon together, and then cuddle on the couch.” Griff shakes his head. When I meet him at the door leading the garage, I follow him out. One step at a time, he may not know it yet, but he’s taking a piece of my heart with him.

“Keep him out of our bed, baby girl.”

“I can’t make any promises,” I reply. He hits the button on the key fob, starting his truck. My car is in the garage stall next to his looking at me longingly because she hasn’t gotten a lot of use since moving in. I follow him to the driver’s side door, watching as he throws his bag on the passenger seat. His wallet comes out of his back pocket, and he puts the rest of his stuff in the center console.

“I’ll promise you this, if I come home and Finn thinks he can sleep on my side of the bed or with my woman permanently, it’ll be my palm you feel against your ass,” he says, spinning around.

“I’m not sure if that’s a threat. I kind of like the idea of that.” He steps into my space, engulfing me with his presence, surrounding me in the way only Griff can.

“We’ll see about that when you can’t sit for a week without the reminder of my palm coming down on your bare ass.” He dips his body, lowers his head to my ear. His tongue flicks at the lobe and sets off a tingling deep within my body.

“Griff.” My hands come up to his chest, pulling at his shirt until he’s as close as possible.

“Fuck, wish I had more time.” His lips graze my cheek until they are on mine. One kiss will never be enough. He must have the same realization because it’s over all too soon, but there’s a shit ton of meaning behind the soft and sweet kiss.

“Be safe. Text me when you get there, and I’ll see you soon.” We pull away, he gives Finn a pat on his head, and then he’s swinging his body into his truck.

“Soon,” he says right before he closes the truck door. Finn and I stay where we are until he’s pulling out of the garage. We walk together, me waving as he finishes backing out, staying where I’m at until his truck is no longer visible. I take a deep breath, dropping the façade of being strong for a moment. Finn must realize my somber mood because he nudges my thigh, getting my attention.

“Yeah, let’s go for a walk on the beach,” I tell him, then turn around and walk back into the house, where I know we’ll be met with the absence of Griff. Maybe if I keep us super busy, we won’t miss the man of the house too much. Probably wishful thinking, but it’s better than wallowing in sadness.

18

GRIFFIN

“Goddamn, it’s been too long,” I tell Stormy on the screen of my phone. Yesterday, I sent her a text that I’d made it. She responded with a picture of her and Finn on the beach. I put my phone away, went over the itinerary, how many boats would be in the water, and the course we’d be working. It was work and nothing but work until I crawled into bed, my head hit the pillow, and I was out like a light. I’d have texted or called her if the early hours of the morning weren’t creeping as it is by the time, I got away from everyone the clock laughed in my face, she’d be fast asleep that I wasn’t waking her up even with a message.

“Good morning to you, too. It’s been less than twenty-four hours. Are you admitting that you miss me?” She is in our bed, the covers pulled up to her shoulders, and I don’t miss the flash of yellow behind her. Christ, Finn is going to take my spot all too easily if I’m out of town more than I already am.

“I’ve got no shame admitting that I miss you, Stormy.” Her face gets soft, this time not from sleep, since I more than likely woke her up with the early phone call.

“I miss you, too, Griff.” She props her phone up on the nightstand. The comforter moves away from her body. A groan leaves me at seeing the shirt of mine she’s wearing. This one white, nearly thread bare, and I can see the outline of her nipples. What I wouldn’t give to be with her right now. I already know where I’d start, too. I’d take one pebbled peak, sucking it through the fabric, while my hand would slide up the back of her thigh, wedging myself between her spread legs. I’d repeat the process with her other nipple until the cotton shirt is nice and wet, much like I know her cunt would be. The cool air and damp shirt would do what my mouth couldn’t as I moved down her body. It wouldn’t take me long to work my way to her cunt. Fuck, I can practically taste it, and we’re hundreds of miles away from one another. Christ, I’d take this a whole lot further if it weren’t for the fact that I’m rooming with another person in this small home that’s been rented for us to use. As it is, someone could walk in and interrupt, which wouldn’t be an issue on my end, but I’ll be damned if someone hears or sees Stormy in mid-orgasm, or fucking forbid if she were stripped naked. I’d lose my Goddamn mind.

“Griff, you’re a million miles away. I won’t keep you. I know you’ve got a lot going on and need to prepare for.” I break out of my thoughts. If she only fucking knew what was going on in my head.

“I’m good. Work is the last thing on my mind right now.” It should be the first, especially with the situations we deal with. At any given moment, a boat could wreck by taking the wrong turn or hitting a wave at just the right angle. The fuel they carry makes it even more dangerous.

“Oh, really.” Her bare legs appear in my screen, and I’m left biting back another groan. Maybe I should have canceled this job after all. My head is not in the game. It’s buried in everything that’s Stormy.

“Baby girl, the things I’d do to you if this house weren’t full of men who could interrupt us at any given moment.” Fuck this, being away from Stormy is not my idea of a good time. Next time I’m at a boat race, I’ll make sure we get our own place. Four nights away from my woman is going to turn me into a bigger asshole than I already am with the others around. At least if she’s here each night, I know I’ll be coming back to her. There won’t be a seven-hour drive home, making it impossible to be home right after the last race on Sunday. Four nights away from her is too damn long.

“Griff, that’s not fair.” She moves again, this time sitting off to the side, unknowingly giving me a glance of her bare pussy. Stormy listens, even when I’m not home.

I look over my shoulder, see no one is near the door, stand up from my place on the too small bed, close the door, and lock it for good measure. “Lift your shirt for me, baby girl. I need something to tide me over.” I walk back to my phone. It’s propped up on a pillow, my bulge front and center giving Stormy a view of my own. These damn cargo pants do more than hold supplies; they’re giving my woman a show for her to see exactly what she does to me.

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